- Trills on a Tuesday
- May 17
- 4 min read
With only nine more rehearsals until our Summer Gala Concert, we still have a lot of work to do. Eamonn is going through as many songs as possible, and we mostly know all the notes.
However, we do need to work on learning the words, so we can sing them ‘off book’ and look up.
This makes such difference in many ways; we can clearly see Eamonn for his direction on when to start, the cut offs, the silences of the dunce holes and the endings.
It is so important we sing (or not) in unison which makes the difference to us sounding like a professional choir or a rag tag of people randomly singing.
The bonus of singing off book means when we are looking up our voices are projected outwards to our audience and not down into our boots!
Generally, Eamonn is impressed at the work we have put in so far and it is now coming down to polishing our performance with the small picky things.
Think of it as tiling a wall. When the tiles are up it looks ok, but when the grouting is done it looks absolutely amazing. We are aiming for absolutely amazing.
We started the evening with Nights in White Satin a song by English rock band the Moody Blues, written by band member Justin Hayward wrote who composed the song at age 19 while touring in Belgium and titled the song after a girlfriend gave him a gift of satin bedsheets. Hayward said of the song, "It was just another song I was writing and I thought it was very powerful. It was a very personal song and every note, every word in it means something to me and I found that a lot of other people have felt that very same way about it." Hayward also said: So, with "Nights", I sat on the side of the bed and just wrote the two verses. I was at the end of one big love affair and the beginning of another. These are the things that boys, when they're in the middle of love affairs, think about. Every word in that song makes perfect sense to me, but trying to explain it to someone is difficult. I mean, I lived every one of the lines in that song"
Even though there are short phrases in this song, put them together so they make long phrases to give them direction.
Altos; enjoy your ‘Oohs’
Make ‘I love you’ sound sweet and tender and then emphasise the repeat, ‘Yes, I love you’. You may then snatch a quick breath before ‘Oh, how I love you’
When the Tenors and Basses are singing their verse, Sops and Altos sing out your ‘Oohs’ loudly, even though is says pianissimo in the music score so you can be heard under the strong voices of the verse.
On the ‘twiddly’ note section, lean into the first notes
Watch Eamonn for the last note at the end.
The Sound of Silence is in good shape. Just watch out for the different length silences and don’t fall into the dunce holes. Keep watching Eamonn and he will direct you. If his hand is up like a halt sign it means SHUT UP!
Sop 1s follow on confidently with your ‘Oohs’ as if it’s a continuation of the Sop 2s singing their ‘Oohs’ and sing straight into ‘Ooh, ooh, without speaking…’ with no breath.
Matthew & Son – Altos lean into your do do dn do dos towards the end. Have fun and a little wiggle if it makes you feel the rhythm.
California Dreamin’ – ensure you know what part you are singing and when. Sop1s, it is easy for you as you are always on Part 1.
Sop 2s, please practice your ‘Stopped into a church….’ section as you are the only ones singing this part and it needs to be clear and confident.
The Logical Song – Sops and Altos learn the first page so it can be sung off book.
This means you are looking up and engaging with the audience and watching Eamonn.
Again, have fun with the ending learn it by heart and make sure we all finish at the same time!
You’re the Voice needs lots of stamina. Every time you turn the page there is more to come.
It is relentless! Forest Gump certainly had it!
We finished with Irish Blessing, such a contrast with its slow quite gentility.
Sops learn the first verse to sing off book and look up. DO NOT breathe in ‘ever in the palm of hiz hand’ except at the very end when a small breath is allowed …’ever in the palm (quick breath) of hiz hand’.
It only takes one person to sing a note when they shouldn’t to completely change the quality and sound. Don’t be that one person! Learn the words and have confidence to look up. It can’t be stressed enough – WATCH EAMONN.
Watch and Learn and we will be amazing!
David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birth at the Albert Hall. Bastille sang this Pompeii in his honour.
- Trills on a Tuesday
- May 6
- 3 min read
With our Maestro back in the driving seat, he was very keen to see the progress we had made in his absence. We now have the 18 songs we are going to perform for our Summer Gala Concert, so there are no surprises. We must keep on top of things and practise all of them, especially the parts of songs you are unsure of.
Some of us have definitely been working hard and, on the whole, we impressed him, which is no mean feat!
Crossing the Bar, actually brought tears to his eyes and he said it was the best we have ever sung it! Of course, there was some minor adjustments that need to be made, but we are getting down to the minutiae now. Keep the long phrases going to the end and breathe where there are rests. Just watch the timing on ‘I hope to see my Pilot face to face…’ which is shorter notes the first time it is sung and elongated notes the second time.
Eamonn has set us all a challenge and wants us to learn by heart the beginning of some of the songs so we can look up and watch him. You have just got to get used to looking up!
Learn the beginning of:
The Logical Song - Altos & SopsMatthew & Son – AltosThe Impossible Dream – BassesVincent – Basses & TenorsIrish Blessing – SopsCrossing the Bar – Sops, Altos & Tenors
It sounds a big ask, but if you practise regularly, the words will just stay in your head and it will become second nature. You just have to break the habit of looking down at your music score and have the confidence to look up at Eamonn who will guide you through it all. If you can achieve this, it will be an amazing performance.
We eased our way in with Vincent where Tenors and Basses sing together most of the time.Sops be careful as some of your ‘Oohs’ are flat which is not a good sound! ‘Oohs’ sound simple, but sung for a long period of time with very high notes is hard work to keep them sounding bright and interesting.Be very emphatic when coming in on ‘Now I understand….’Tenors & Basses when coming off the lyrics onto an ‘Ooh’ chill out and don’t make it too loud. Just melt into it!Altos when you come in the ‘And when no hope was left inside…’ make sure you sound the ‘d’ on ‘and’. Eamonn doesn’t like Ann Wenn!
Matthew & Son is sectional so know when it is more robotic and when it loose with ‘Do do dos’. Keep the notes going to the end of the phrases and don’t let them fade away. ‘They’ve been working all day, all day, all day..’ give ‘day’ a lot of love.‘Matthew & Sonnnn’ – the ‘sonnn’ should have a real buzz to it.Altos, get into your rhythm with your sassy ‘do do dos’ at the end.
Here Comes the Flood – this is quick, intense and weird! Do not take a breath in the middle of the long phrases.Ensure all the ‘z’ sounds at the end of the words are joined on to the next word e,g, ‘When the night show zthe signal grow zon radios’….After the robotic sound of the verses, make ‘We can’t even choose a side’ really warm.Sops, your ‘Oohs’ are very important, so make them sound interesting.Take a big breath before ‘Oh and ….’ And connect ‘soa kedthe crowd’.
The Logical Song is also a strange, crazy song. Listen to the original to get the feel of it, although Eamonn’s version is different. As usual, Tenors and Basses are seduced on to the tune. Learn your own tune and you’ll be fine.
You’re the Voice is going to be our grand finale of the concert so it will need lots of energy to keep it moving forward, but you’ll have the adrenaline to power your through.Unusually you have lots of opportunity to breathe in this song. Take a breath between the Whoa, whoas’
It is more important than ever to do your homework as time is moving quickly and the concert wil be upon us before we know it! Learn the lyrics as much as possible so you can look up and watch for the cut offs.
You can do it!
Tips for Faster Learning
Understand the Story: Focusing on the meaning and structure of the song makes it easier to recall than random words.
Practice Before Bed: Reviewing the lyrics before sleep can improve retention.
Use Imagery: Visualize the scene or story behind the lyrics to act as memory triggers.
Record Yourself: Record yourself singing and listen to it to identify areas needing improvement.
Rehearse Frequently: Use spaced repetition by reviewing the lyrics over several days rather than just once
- Trills on a Tuesday
- May 2
- 2 min read
It was explained to us how to use our breath and let it naturally happen as we tell the story when singing in phrases, even if it is only Oohs. Imagine you are a dog and someone comes to the door and you bark. You can feel your diaphragm working to push out the air as you need it; you don’t have to think about it. Use this principle when singing and our body will adjust the amount of air we need naturally.
We certainly need plenty of breath for The Rhythm of Life. It should be powerful.
The tempo on this song is constant, although sometimes you have a lot of words to fit in, it gives the illusion of going faster or when some notes are longer it appears slower.
When you have a lot of notes to sing, don’t fudge them, make sure each note is heard clearly.
Every time you come in on your part, tell the story and make the audience notice you and listen to your part.
With ‘pigeons’ and ‘religion’ open your mouth, so the note doesn’t squeak and maybe go a little flat!
To help the Altos and Basses find their note on the key change, Sop1 and Tenors punch out the second note of ‘feet’.
At the end, make sure the ‘Yeahs’ are cut off cleanly and quickly as directed.
The journey of John Farnham.
You’re the Voice still needs a lot of work. The rhythm and timing are critical in this song otherwise it will not work.
‘This time’ is sung by the basses on the first beat and everyone else comes in on the third beat with the echo of ‘this time.
Make ‘Believin’’ sound like ‘Believen’ and straight into ‘we can make it better’
Homework, homework, homework on this one, please!
Crossing the Bar is in a better place. Make sure ‘sound’ in ‘sound and foam’ is long
Basses do not slide on ‘again home’
Watch the timing on ‘no (count 1/2) sadness of farewell’ and keep it moving forward.
We did remarkably well on our silences in The Sound of Silence. The song is disguised as a ballad, but it is actually full of energy and tells a story. We sang this from start to finish with no one falling in the dunce holes. Well done!
The Rainbow Connection was in good shape too, remember to emphasize the ‘Oh’ before going into ‘I’ve heard it too many times….’
Ensure the La da da di da di dums are crisp and bouncy
Our Maestro is back next week. Please practise at home and let us surprise him with how good we know we can be.
